Advertiser Disclosure: The credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which MoneyCrashers.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they appear on category pages. MoneyCrashers.com does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers, although best efforts are made to include a comprehensive list of offers regardless of compensation. Advertiser partners include American Express, U.S. Bank, and Barclaycard, among others.

Join 102,863 Subscribers

GET THE FREE MONEY CRASHERS EMAIL NEWSLETTER!

The New Credit Card Law Fees Of 2010 Take Advantage Of Customers

Advertiser Disclosure: This post includes references to offers from our partners such as American Express. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. However, the opinions expressed here are ours alone and at no time has the editorial content been provided, reviewed, or approved by any issuer.

I’ve told you once and I’ll tell you again, playing with credit cards is like playing with snakes. The more you play with them, the more you have the chance of getting bitten. Everyone knew that the fees associated with credit cards were getting completely out of hand, and finally the government acknowledged the predatory fee structure of these cards. As a result, the government recently passed legislation that limited which fees credit card companies are allowed to charge and how much they’re allowed to charge.

Consumers are generally happy with the legislation since our country is addicted to credit cards. After all, the average consumer was still using credit cards even with the exorbitant fees and interest rates. But when the government stepped in to regulate what credit card companies could do, did you think the credit card companies would just lie down and admit defeat? No way!

I want to first highlight some of the fees that the government now regulates, and then discuss some of the creative, new fees that credit card companies have conjured up to combat the system and ultimately take a huge chunk out of your wallet:

Examples of Fees That Were Reduced

Late Fees: They were as high as $39, and now the max allowed today is $25. Also, companies must now give notice 21 days before payment is due instead of the old 14-day notice.

Over-Limit Fees: They were as high as $39, and now the max allowed today is $28.

Interest Rate Hikes: Interest rates can only be increased by giving 45 days notice instead of the old 14-day notice. Also, rates can only be increased after the first year and only for the following reasons: 1) customer made a late payment 2) promotional period ends 3) the card has a clearly stated variable rate.

These reductions are a huge hit for banks. Preliminary estimates are that these regulations would cause the industry to lose up to $5.5 billion in revenue this year. In addition to these reductions, there are some other advantages of the new credit card laws of 2010 that you should know about. Naturally, banks aren’t going to allow this loss of revenue to occur if they can help it. Instead of trying to support the new system and help out the consumer, these companies have created new credit card fees that aren’t regulated by the new credit card reform act.

Examples of New Fees:

Balance Transfer Fees: The common balance fee before the reform act was 3% with a $75 dollar cap; now the common fee is 5% with no cap.

Card Replacement Fee: Yeah, you read that right. Credit card companies will charge you now if your card was lost or stolen. The fee ranges from $10 to $20

Annual Fees: The average annual fee for credit cards with points and reward programs continue to rise. Fees have risen roughly 65% and 20% at credit unions vs banks respectively.

And of course, credit card companies are raising the average interest rate on credit cards. In 2009, the average rate was 10.7% and in 2010 the average rate is 13.6%.

I know that a lot of you don’t understand my distaste toward credit card companies. For those of you who keep enough money aside in your checking account, charge everything, and pay off your balance in full every month, I applaud your discipline and the fact that you are not letting these credit card companies take advantage of you. But, the large majority of us do not have the discipline or sound financial situation to properly use credit cards without falling into excessive debt. And with all the new fees being created every day by credit card companies, even the most savvy credit card user might end up paying these fees at some point while a cardholder. And don’t forget, if you are already in a difficult financial situation, credit cards are not a magic solution as you try to get out of debt.

Before you take the plunge into your next credit card, be honest with yourself whether you can responsibly handle a credit card without falling victim to the temptations of “free money.” If you are unsure about your ability to be smart with your credit card, stick with cash.

What are your thoughts on credit cards in general and all the new fees being created every day?

Related

Editorial Note: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any bank, credit card issuer, airline, or hotel chain, and has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of the bank, credit card issuer, airline, or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Erik and his wife, Lindzee, live in Orlando, Florida with a baby boy on the way. Erik works as an account manager for a marketing company, and considers counseling friends, family and the readers of Money Crashers his personal ministry to others. Erik became passionate about personal finance and helping others make wise financial decisions after racking up over $20k in credit card and student loan debt within the first two years of college.

Comments Disclosure: The below responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

The content on MoneyCrashers.com is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as professional financial advice. Should you need such advice, consult a licensed financial or tax advisor. References to products, offers, and rates from third party sites often change. While we do our best to keep these updated, numbers stated on this site may differ from actual numbers. We may have financial relationships with some of the companies mentioned on this website. Among other things, we may receive free products, services, and/or monetary compensation in exchange for featured placement of sponsored products or services. We strive to write accurate and genuine reviews and articles, and all views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors.